So, mama went back to Hong Kong last Friday…and I had to grow up. :(
But luckily I have 2 awesome men in my life to take care of me and my belly!!! On Saturday night, Nick took me out to a fancy shmancy dinner at One-Sixty Blue, a restaurant owned by Michael Jordan himself. WHO KNEW the man knew anything other than basketball?!?! Apparently, Mr. Jordan himself has been seen bartending here. Unfortunately, he wasn’t here on Saturday night. booooo.
The first thing we asked for when we got seated was THE baller bread basket.
*CONFESSION* I am a TOTAL sucker for fancy restaurant bread baskets….they’re just….SO DAMN GOOD!
Nick and I tore through this basket of hot sour dough and crackers, so we asked for a second one! Shamelessly.
To start, I ordered the Seafood Ceviche.
It’s got squid, octopus, rock shrimp, yuzu, and aji amarillo (no idea what that is, but it was yumma!)
The tart yuzu sauce on the bottom was a fabulous complement to the seafood, and I actually even ate all the herbs. The BEST way to eat this? On those crackers from the bread basket! (I tore through at least 10 crackers that night. No regrets)
Nick ordered himself the Spicy Peeky Toe Crab that was plated on top of diced melons and a sweet melon pesto. It was fresh and flavorful, but a little too sweet for me to think of it as an appetizer!
My entree was the Seared Ahi Tuna!
Served with wheatberries, a veggie salsa, and a wasabi vinigarette (that wasn’t spicy at all)
Do you have one of those dishes where you HAVE to order it as long as you see it on the menu???? Mine is seared ahi tuna. :P Though I thought the fish was a little over-seared and chewy on the sides, cutting them into little pieces and stacking them on top of the crackers from the bread basket made everything A-OK again!
Nick ordered himself the Alaskan halibut, that’s actually seared with a really thin slice of brioche on top. 
His fish was PERFECTLY cooked and so tender it fell apart when you prod it with a fork. He didn’t really enjoy the citrus sabayon that came with the fish though.
We also shared a side of wilted green beans. Honestly, butter & garlic can make anything taste delicious, so…I’m not going to comment on how yummy this was. heheheh. Imagine.
We passed on dessert, but we saw the waiter give the table next to us an entire platter full of sweets and individually wrapped cookies. I ALMOST demanded where ours was, but figured since we had 2 bread baskets…and the fact that this was a pretty fancy restaurant to just suck it up. Nick and I went home and downed some mint chocolate chip ice-cream instead. Free of charge!
RATINGS
Taste: 4/5 (Love the fusion take on contemporary American!)
Originality: 4/5 (Some unexpected flavor combinations, especially the East meets West theme)
Plating: 4/5
Value: 2/5 (I don’t think I was full aftewards…even after all those crackers!)
Service: 3.5/5 (Not bad, but…I’ve been to less fancy restaurants with better service…)
***
OH GOD. Back to cooking for myself…
Actually, my brother has actually taken on the role of Male mama…you’ll get to see what he cooks for me soon! :)
Hope everyone’s doing well!!! I am officially back!!!
What a great place! I think I heard somewhere that Michael Jordon was a restaraunt owner. I think if I were rich and famous, I would like to own one too.
When we were in CA, we ate at a place called “Ketchup” and later on, I discovered it was owen by Ashton Kutchen. Who knew?!?!
Hope you are well sweet girl! ;)
Michelle! I am glad you are back in my life :) What a fun night. You’re so lucky that your “have to order” menu item is something as healthy as seared tuna…mine is red velvet cake ;) Hehe.
Oh man… MJ love love love… Next time I’m in Chicago I’ll be stalking this place for the bread and Jordan sightings!
Lucky you to have such awesome guys in your life ;)
yeah~~~ I’m a lover of fancy restaurant’s bread basket and probably what I miss most about argentinian restaurants, because no matter how cheap it is, they always have fresh baked breads! :)
ah i am so happy youre back! i missed youuuuu. and your comment was so wonderful i don’t even know where to begin. you’ve been such a support system for me and i can’t thank you enough! you are an amazing friend!
Mint chocolate chip is cream reminds me of my childhood. It used to be the only ice cream flavor I ate! Now I choose other flavors, but the mint chocolate chip will always be my favorite.
The seared tuna looks so good. I love ordering seared tuna at restaurants, I’m never disappointed.
michael jordan has a restaurant, who knew? and so gourmet too! i LOVE seared ahi tuna as well. and that bread basket is heaven!
looks like a delish dinner! i wish my brother could cook more than…macaroni and cheese and waffles. can’t wait to see what yours cooks up! :-)
mmmm – seared tuna :)
That’s pretty cool that MJ owns a restaurant. I didn’t know that!
I’ve never really had seared Ahi tuna. I’m weirded out by pieces of (semi) raw fish…though I’ll eat sushi. Okay, I’m just weird.
BTW, I’m coming up to Chicago in September for the Half marathon!
MICHELLE!!! I MISSED YA!!
you’re such a foodie. I need to start hititng up restaurants with my boyfriend too!
welcome back!!! that breadbasket does look amazing. i can say no to plain white boring cold slices of bread, but not a killer basket like that one, MMM!
Yumm that bread basket and tuna looks great! Love your reviews!
I am totally like that with fancy bread baskets too! They have some crazy breads out there (flat breads, rosemary scented, seeded/multigrain) that taste fabulous :)
A dish I have to order is probably black cod. If I see it anywhere (which is pretty rare) I will order it. That and any type of fish, mmm, seafood girl here!
Sorry to hear that you mom’s gone now :( But hey, your brother cooks for you??? Lucky gal!
aw sorry your mommas gone girl, but at least you got two gents to take care of ya :)!
Can’t wait to see your bro featured as a top chef!!
it’s good to know MJ can do other things besides flying through the air and what not..haha. The restaurant looks SO good :) I love trying different places Greek Salads! And how other Diners make omlettes. Haha I know I don’t have a high class pallate like you!
Mmm that bread basket does look good! Love the seared ahi tuna, too. Great restaurant review :D
Look at that bread basket! Wow! Tuna looks good too. That’s awesome about your brother :D
Thanks for the golf tips!! Your second tip, about pausing right when the club is above my head, is a really good one. I’ve actually noticed that before! I had forgotten to do that on this particular occasion, so next time I golf I will keep that in mind. Also, keeping my eyes on the ball is SO important, I know, it just seems to be so hard for me! I need to practice more, that’s for sure! Thanks for your help :)
ok wow everything looks beautiful…but oh yes I am a bread basket fan…always gets me
Wow! I had NO IDEA that Michael Jordan had a restaurant! And what fancy food you’ve enjoyed!
For me, if I see brie cheese, or goat cheese, or some kind of amazing jam like cranberry or sweet onion or jalepano-chutney, I HAVE to order it :-)
My fiance is a HUGE Michael Jordan fan. In fact, he actually told me during a conversation earlier this evening that Michael Jordan is probably the ONLY famous person he would be excited to meet.
YYYUUUUMMMM!!! I love fancy shmancy restaurants. My man? Not so much :(. Gosh it all looks so good. The ceviche, the ahi and wheat berries, what a great combo! No shame on that bread basket baby!! I love it :)
~Justine
i am SUCH a sucker for fancy bread baskets (or ANY bread baskets, for that matter) too! what a yummy-looking swanky restaurant!
YUM! I love any bread basket. . . bread of all kinds is just amazing!